Air-resistance device for railway-vehicles



No. 609,786. Patented Aug 30, I898.

G. J. CAPEWELL.

AIR RESISTANCE DEVICE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES."

(Application filed July 18, 189& Renewed Jan. 5, 1898.)

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No. 609,786. Patented Aug. 30, I898.

G. J. GAPEWELL.

A|R RESISTANCE DEVICE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES.

(Application filed July 18, 1896. Renewed Jan. 5, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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NlTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

AIR-RESISTANCE DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,786, dated August 30, 1898. Application filed July 18, 1896. Renewed January 5, 1898. Serial No. 665,707. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. OAPEWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Resistance Devices for Railway-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to devices adapted to be applied to railway locomotives, cars, or other vehicles designed to travel at high speeds which can be arranged in positions to minimize the air resistance to the movement of the vehicle or train .to which they are applied and which can be moved from those positions to positions which will increase the air resistance to such an extent that they can be utilized to slacken the velocity of the vehicle or train.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus which can be either permanently or removably attached to or connected with the front of any locomotive or motorcar in which steam, electricity, compressed air, or other motive power is utilized in such manner that it can be readily and quickly moved from a position in which it will minimize the air resistance offered to the movement of the locomotive or motor-car to a position which will greatly increase the air resistance, thus enabling a reduction from a very rapid rate of speed to a less rate of speed without the application of wheel or track brakes; and a further object is to provide a simple apparatus that can be applied to the sides or tops of locomotives, motor-cars, or trailing cars of a train in such manner that it also can be easily and quickly operated so as to increase the resistance of the air to the moving vehicle or train.

To this end the invention resides in a wedgeshaped or pointed shield or deflector so connected with the forward end of thevehicle that it will part and turn aside from the front end of the vehicle air which it meets when running at a rapid speed but which can be moved by the engineer, driver, or motorman from this position of minimum resistance to a position that will expose the front end of the vehicle and greatly increase the air resistance; and it further resides in wings, vanes, diaphragms, or pockets connected with the vehicle in such manner that they can at the desired time be turned from position of minimum resistance so as to greatly increase the air resistance, asmore particularly hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a so-called Baldwin-Nestinghouse electric locomotive fitted with forms of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the same with a portion of the housing broken away and the air-deflector cut in section in order to show one arrangement of mechanisms for moving the deflector and the resistance -vanes that are shown. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same with the deflector and vanes shown as in positions to increase the air resistance. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a modified form of resistance-vanes. Fig. 5 is a view of the same with the vanes closed down against the roof of the vehicle,

and Fig. 6 is a plan of the form shown in Fig. 4. V

The apparatus constituting the invention may be applied to any class of locomotive or motor-car utilizing steam, electricity, compressed air, or other motive power and having a housing of any desired design; but the invention is shown in connection with an electric locomotive 1, that has ordinary motor trucks 2 and the closed housing 3. Connected with the forward end of this locomotive is a smooth shield or deflector 4, which is shown as formed of arched or curved sheet metal arranged to decline forward from be low the lookout-windows 5, that are near the top of the housing to a point well in advance of the locomotive and just above the track. In the views the deflector is shown as mounted on a pivot-shaft 6, that is held in bearings secured to a part that projects forward from the flooring of the front platform. If desired, a pilot-truck may be placed beneath this part of the platform; but it is not thought to be necessary.

The pivot-shaft is located just alittle above the center of gravity of the deflector, so that the tendency will be for the forward end of the deflector to drop downward by gravity; but the pivot is so near the center that the deflector can be easily oscillated. The rear end of this deflector is fitted to the forward end of the housing, so that when it is in the position shown in Fig. 1 it provides asmooth curved inclining surface or wed ge-shaped forward end for the locomotive that when mov ing parts and throws aside the air which it meets, allowing the locomotive to travel with but comparatively little air friction. shield declines forward it curves down on each side, so most of the air is thrown to the sides and but little is thrown upward to meet the front lookout-windows or be caught beneath the storm-cap 7, that projects over the front lookout-windows, and that air which is met by the lookout-windows is thrown to the sides, for they are arranged either on a curve or on angles, as shown by the dotted line 8 of Fig. 3.

To the pivot-shaf t of the deflector a rockerarm 9 may be secured, and joined to this arm may be a rod 10, that extends back within the housing, where it may be connected with a lever 11 or with other means, whereby the rod may be reciprocated and the rocker-arm oscillated. This rod may of course be connected with the pump used for the air-brake that is usually employed with these locomotives for applying the wheel-brakes, and whether the rod is reciprocated by com pressed air or by hand-power through the lever the pivot-shaft will be rotated so that the deflector will be turned. When the deflector is turned from the position shown in Fig. 1, in which it throws aside the air which it meets, to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which it exposes the blunt front end of the locomotive to the air, the wall 12 is also exposed, so that a large surface, consisting of the blunt end of the car and this wall beneath the car, is directly presented to the air in such manner as to offer considerably more resistance than was offered by the deflector when it was down in the first position.

Mounted upon the roof 13 of the vehicle are resistance-vanes, which can be turned from a position of minimum resistance to a position greatly increasing the air resistance.

The vanes 14 may, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, be pivoted upon vertical arbors 15.

' These arbors are supported by bearings in the roof and in a bridging-brace 16. The arbors may be provided with rocker-arms 17, and the rocker-arms may be connected with a rod 18, that extends longitudinally beneath the roof, and this rod may be connected with a rocker-arm 19, projecting from a vertical shaft 20, which vertical shaft has a rockerarm 21, that maybe connected with the rod 10, that is connected with the rocker-arm 9, proj ecting from the pivot-shaft 6 of the deflector 4. With these connections, when the deflector is moved either by hand or by power, the vertical shaft 20 is oscillated and the rod 18 reciprocated in such manner as to rotate the vertical arbors 15, which carry the vanes.

When the vanes are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, they extend longitudinally of the vehicle and thus offer but a slight resistance; but when they are rotated by the mechanisms described to the positions shown in Figs. 2

As the and 3 they extend transversely of the vehicle in such manner as to offer great resistance, particularly when the vehicle is running at very rapid rates of speed.

The resistance vanes or diaphragms may be curved or made somewhat pocket-shaped, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. These curved resistance-pockets 22 may be mounted upon horizontal arbors 23 so they will normally lie close to the top of the roof of the vehicle. If it is desired, these resistance vanes, diaphragms, or pockets may be elevated or lowered by means of sprocket-and-chain mechanisms. In the form shown in Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 the arbors 23 are provided with sprocketwheels, around which passes a sprocketchain 24,which chain may also run about asprocketwheel on a shaft 25, that can be rotated by a chain 26, that passes about a sprocket-wheel on this shaft and a shaft provided with a crank-handle 27. WVith these connections when the handle is revolved in one direction the resistance parts are lifted from close to the roof of the vehicle so as to stand in a position to oifer resistance, and when the handle is revolved in the opposite direction these parts are of course moved from the resistance position and caused to lie close against the roof of the car.

With trains running at very high rates of speedsay from ninety miles an hour up, particularly if the speed reaches above one hundred miles an hour-the air resistance is considerable. WVith a locomotive or motorcar fitted with apparatus embodying the features of this invention the resistance can be minimized, and with the same apparatus, when desired, the speed can be slackened from the high rates to normal rates, so that it will be unnecessary to apply the wheel or track brakes, as the case may be, until the I speed is reduced to such an extent that the friction-brakes will not be severely worn or burned when applied.

When the deflector is down, air is divided and turned aside, but when the deflector is up the blunt end of the Vehicle is exposed, and this, with the aid of the vanes or pockets turned so as to offer resistance, will reduce the rate of speed. All of these parts can be easily moved conjointly or singly through the medium of a lever or by means of sprockets and chains, which can be worked'either by hand or by power. When these parts are moved, as they can be quickly, they at once perform their functions of increasing the air resistance and retard the movement of the vehicle or train, so that the speed can be reduced from a high rate to a normal rate before the friction-brakes need be applied for fully stopping the Vehicle or train.

The application of apparatus embodying my invention to locomotives, motor-cars, or trains will enable them to be run at higher rates of speed without necessitating such a great increase in the amount of power to overcome air resistance and at the same time without necessitating an increase of the brakeapplying power.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In combination with a railway-vehicle, a resistance part arranged to deflect air from the end of the vehicle when in motion, said part being movably connected with the body of the vehicle, and mechanisms for moving the resistance part from a position of minimum resistance, that is from a position in which it deflects air from the end of the vehicle, to a position of maximum resistance, that is a position in which the end of the vehicle is exposed to the air when moving, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with a railway-vehicle, a deflector for air movably connected with and projecting forward at an angle to the front end of the vehicle, and mechanisms for moving the deflector from a position which will minimize the air resistance to a position which will increase the air resistance to the moving vehicle, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with a railway-vehicle, a deflector for air movably connected with the front end of the vehicle, mechanisms for moving the deflector from a position which will minimize the air resistance to a position which will increase the air resistance to the vehicle, resistance parts movably connected with the body of the vehicle, and means for moving the resistance parts from positions of little resistance to positions of great resistance to the air, substantially as specified.

4. In combination with a railway-vehicle, a circular deflector for air mounted upon a pivot and projecting forward at an angle to the front end of the-vehicle, and mechanisms for oscillating the deflector on its pivot, substantially as specified.

5. In combination with a railway-vehicle, resistance-van es pivotally supported upon the top of the vehicle, and mechanisms for oscillating the resistance-vanes from positions of no resistance -to positions of great resistance, substantially as specified.

GEORGE J. CAPEWELL.

\Vitnesses:

H. R. WILLIAMs, E. J. HYDE. 

